VA Aid and Attendance can raise a veteran's VA pension limit to $29,093 a year, money that can help pay for in-home care in Georgia. It's cash paid directly to the veteran to spend on a home health aide, a homemaker, or even a family member providing the care, and for a wartime veteran or surviving spouse who needs help with daily activities, it can be what keeps them at home.

This guide explains what in-home care costs in Georgia, how much Aid and Attendance pays, who qualifies, and how the benefit works alongside Georgia Medicaid.

In This Guide

How Much In-Home Care Costs in Georgia

In Georgia, "home health" and "home care" are separate, separately licensed provider categories under the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). Home health is skilled care, such as skilled nursing and physical, occupational, or speech therapy, from a home health agency. A Private Home Care Provider delivers direct care in the person's home, which can include nursing services, personal care tasks, and companion or sitter tasks, and it cannot operate without a DCH license. According to the 2025 CareScout Cost of Care Survey (released March 2, 2026, from rates collected July through November 2025), non-medical home care in Georgia runs about $32 per hour, below the $35 national median. That survey folded the separate homemaker and home health aide categories it used through 2024 into a single "non-medical caregiver" rate, so a Georgia figure that still splits the two is older data. On the survey's basis of 44 hours a week for 52 weeks, $32 an hour works out to about $73,216 a year, though most families buying a few hours of help a day will spend a fraction of that. Skilled nursing in the home is priced separately and is the one Georgia category that runs above national, about $98 an hour against a $90 national median.

Medicare does not pay for 24-hour care at home, or for personal care such as help with bathing and dressing when that is the only care a person needs, and for low-income older Georgians Medicaid funds in-home personal care through the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program (delivered as CCSP and SOURCE). For everyone else, in-home care is largely out of pocket, which is exactly the kind of expense Aid and Attendance is designed to offset.

How Aid and Attendance Helps Pay for In-Home Care in Georgia

Aid and Attendance is an increased monthly payment added to a VA pension, for wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities., It is paid as cash directly to the veteran, who decides how to use it. Because it is paid to the beneficiary as part of the monthly pension, families commonly put it toward a home health aide, a homemaker, or a family caregiver.

Category Maximum Annual Pension Rate
Veteran, no dependents Up to $29,093 a year
Veteran with one dependent (such as a spouse) Up to $34,488 a year
Surviving spouse, no dependents Up to $18,697 a year

Those amounts are ceilings, not checks. The VA publishes them as a Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR), and it bases the payment on the difference between your income for VA purposes and the MAPR that applies to you, so the MAPR is the maximum amount of pension payable rather than the amount everyone receives. The VA's rate tables are annual, but pension is paid monthly: by regulation, the VA subtracts your countable income from the yearly limit, divides what's left by 12, and rounds down to the whole dollar.

Even paid at its full ceiling, the benefit covers part of the cost of regular home care rather than all of it: Georgia's median for in-home care on the survey's 44-hours-a-week basis is $73,216 a year, against an Aid and Attendance limit of $29,093 for a veteran with no dependents or $34,488 with one dependent., Keep in mind the VA pays the veteran; the veteran arranges and pays for the care.

How In-Home Care Costs Lower Your Countable Income for Aid and Attendance in Georgia

VA pension, including the Aid and Attendance increase, is a needs-based benefit: to be eligible, your yearly family income and net worth have to meet limits set by Congress. Because the benefit is keyed to the income the VA counts, out-of-pocket care costs that qualify as unreimbursed medical expenses (UMEs) reduce that income, which is why many veterans who look "too rich" on paper still qualify once their care bills are subtracted.

Only the portion of those expenses in excess of 5% of the applicable annual pension rate is deductible, figured on a rate that includes increased pension for family members but not the aid-and-attendance or housebound increase. For 2026 the VA puts that floor at $872 per year for a veteran with no spouse or child, and it runs higher for a veteran with dependents. So a veteran paying for regular in-home care can deduct the qualifying cost above that first $872. Those costs go to the VA on VA Form 21P-8416 (Medical Expense Report), for expenses you paid and weren't reimbursed for and don't expect to be. For in-home attendant care, the attendant has to provide health care or custodial care, and the payments must be commensurate with the number of hours the attendant actually spends with the person. The attendant must also be a health care provider unless the person needs aid and attendance, is housebound, or a physician, physician assistant, certified nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist states in writing that a physical, mental, developmental, or cognitive disorder makes that care necessary.

Who Qualifies

To qualify for Aid and Attendance, a veteran generally must:

  • Not have received a dishonorable discharge
  • Meet the wartime service test, which the VA states as three paths, any one of which qualifies: for active duty that began before September 8, 1980, at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period; for enlisted service that began after September 7, 1980, at least 24 months (with some exceptions), or the full period for which you were called or ordered to active duty, with at least one day during wartime; or, for an officer who started on active duty after October 16, 1981, not having previously served on active duty for at least 24 months, with at least one day during wartime
  • Meet the age or disability test through any one of the four alternatives the VA lists: being 65 or older, having a permanent and total disability, being a patient in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability, or getting Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income
  • Need the regular aid and attendance of another person, which the VA judges under the criteria at 38 CFR 3.352(a): being unable to dress or undress or to keep yourself ordinarily clean and presentable, needing frequent adjustment of a special prosthetic or orthopedic appliance, being unable to feed yourself, being unable to attend to the wants of nature, or having a physical or mental incapacity that requires care or assistance on a regular basis to protect you from the hazards of your daily environment. Being bedridden, being a patient in a nursing home due to the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability, or having limited eyesight (5/200 or less in both eyes, or a visual field contracted to 5 degrees or less) also meets this test
  • Have a net worth below $163,699 The net worth calculation includes your and your dependent's assets and income for VA purposes, and assets exclude your primary residence, your car, and basic home items like appliances

The VA enforces a 3-year look-back on assets transferred for less than fair market value before filing. A surviving spouse can qualify under the Survivors Pension using the same net worth limit.

The VA's rate table also lists a Housebound rate separate from the Aid and Attendance rate, $21,313 a year for a veteran with no dependents against $29,093 with Aid and Attendance. If you aren't sure which allowance fits your situation, an accredited Veteran Service Officer or VA.gov can tell you.

Using Aid and Attendance to Pay a Family Caregiver

Many families want to keep care in the family, and there are two ways VA benefits make that possible. First, because Aid and Attendance is cash paid to the veteran, the veteran can simply use it to pay a relative who provides care. Under 38 CFR 3.352(c), a relative or another member of the household providing the needed aid and attendance does not prevent the VA from granting the allowance.

Second, the Veteran-Directed Care (VDC) program gives the veteran a flexible budget to hire and supervise their own workers to help them live at home. The veteran (or their representative) manages the budget, and the local agency that runs the program arranges fiscal management services and provides ongoing counseling and support. Through that budget, veterans may also hire family, friends, and neighbors. Enrolled veterans are eligible for VDC if they are eligible for community care, meet the clinical criteria for the service, and it is available to them. VDC is a VA Geriatrics and Extended Care program, so ask an accredited Veteran Service Officer how it fits with a pension and its Aid and Attendance increase in your case. VA medical centers deliver VDC through local aging and disability network agencies, such as area agencies on aging, so ask your VA medical center about it. If you don't know your nearest VA facility, use the VA's facility locator at va.gov/find-locations.

How Aid and Attendance Works with Georgia Medicaid

VA Aid and Attendance and Georgia Medicaid are separate programs run by different agencies under different rules, and a person can receive both at the same time. Medicaid handles VA pension income in two distinct steps. At the eligibility step, a state applies SSI income methodology to aged, blind, and disabled applicants (42 CFR 435.601), and under that methodology VA aid and attendance and housebound allowances are not income (SSA POMS SI 00830.308), so only the basic VA pension counts toward the income limit, and the Aid and Attendance amount does not. Georgia's own rule agrees: section 2418 (VA Income) of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) Medicaid Policy Manual says Aid and Attendance is never considered as income for determining Medicaid eligibility. At the post-eligibility step (the patient liability or cost share calculation for someone already eligible and living in a nursing home or other medical institution), the federal rule at 42 CFR 435.725 says income that was disregarded in determining eligibility must be considered. Georgia's section 2418 says Aid and Attendance and UME/CME reimbursements are not considered in determining patient liability and cost share, so under Georgia's manual the Aid and Attendance amount is not counted in the patient liability or cost share a Georgia Medicaid nursing-home resident pays. Income that does count does not all go to the facility, either. For a resident of a nursing home or other medical institution, 42 CFR 435.725(c) requires the agency, in reducing its payment to the institution, to deduct five amounts, in the order the regulation lists them: a personal needs allowance for the resident, a maintenance needs allowance for a spouse at home, a maintenance needs allowance for other family at home, incurred medical or remedial care expenses that no third party pays, and the full amount of any SSI or state supplementary payment still being received. Those are deductions the agency must make, not benefits a family applies for, and the regulation states only a minimum for the personal needs allowance, so a resident outside the $90 pension cap described next should confirm with Georgia Medicaid the amount the state currently protects. For a veteran with no spouse or child, a federal ceiling comes first: once Medicaid covers their nursing facility care, VA can pay no more than $90 a month in pension for any month after the month of admission, the same cap applies to a surviving spouse with no child, and the facility's Medicaid payment can't be reduced by that $90. Georgia's section 2418 treats VA income of up to $90, when that is the only VA income received, as the resident's personal needs allowance. The statute excludes a State home for which VA makes nursing home per diem payments, so check a Georgia State Veterans Home stay with an accredited Veteran Service Officer before assuming the cap applies. A separate federal rule, 42 U.S.C. 1396a(r)(1)(B), covers a Medicaid-eligible veteran with no spouse or child (or a surviving spouse with no child) in a State veterans home that receives that VA per diem: pension above $90 a month, including Aid and Attendance, is counted as income only to apply that excess to the home's cost of nursing home care, so a Georgia State Veterans Home resident should confirm with Georgia DFCS how that rule and section 2418 apply together. The federal post-eligibility rule at 42 CFR 435.725 covers institutional care by its own terms, so if the services come through a waiver at home or in assisted living, ask Georgia Medicaid how your share of cost is figured. On the VA side, non-reimbursable medical expenses can reduce your income for VA purposes, though only the amount above 5% of your MAPR is deductible.

Because the two programs count income and assets differently, VA pension income can affect Georgia Medicaid eligibility or a patient's cost of care for long-term care, so the order and timing of applying for each can matter. A benefits counselor should review your situation before you apply.

How to Apply and Get Help Filing

To apply for Aid and Attendance, submit VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance), whose examination information section a medical examiner must fill out to document the need for help. The VA uses that same form for Aid and Attendance "that will be added to your monthly compensation or pension benefits," so it serves two routes. The steps here describe the pension route, the one this guide is about, where the VA says "You may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension and you meet at least 1 of these requirements." On that route, a wartime veteran who is not already receiving a VA pension also files VA Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Veterans Pension) to claim the pension itself. If you are still gathering information, you can submit VA Form 21-0966 (Intent to File) first, which the VA says "can secure the earliest possible effective date for any retroactive payments you may be eligible to receive." You can apply online at VA.gov, by mail to the VA Pension Intake Center, or in person at a VA regional office, and an accredited attorney, accredited claims agent, or accredited Veterans Service Organization representative can help you file. Asked how long a decision takes, the VA answers "It depends," and adds that it processes claims in the order it receives them, unless a claim requires priority processing.

Don't do this alone. The Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS) runs Veterans Field Service Offices that offer personal assistance to veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors in all matters pertaining to veterans benefits, including Aid and Attendance. GDVS says its VA-accredited Veterans Service Officers are ready to assist at every step of the claims and appeals process, so if a claim is denied you don't have to handle the appeal alone. GDVS described this help as free in a 2017 announcement, and its current benefits pages list no fee. Appointments are preferred, but offices accept walk-ins as time permits. The main GDVS office can be reached at 404-656-2300.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Aid and Attendance to pay for a home health aide in Georgia?

Yes. Aid and Attendance is paid as cash to the veteran, who can use it for a home health aide, a homemaker, or other in-home care. With non-medical home care in Georgia running about $32 an hour, a pension limit of up to $29,093 a year (or $34,488 with one dependent, such as a spouse) can pay for a meaningful share of care hours.,

Does the VA provide the in-home care directly?

No. The VA pays the veteran a monthly cash benefit; the veteran arranges and pays for the care. That's what makes the benefit flexible enough to cover an agency aide or a family caregiver.

Can my income be too high to qualify if I'm paying for care?

Often not. Out-of-pocket in-home care can count as an unreimbursed medical expense that lowers the income the VA counts, but only the portion above the annual floor is deductible, $872 for a veteran with no spouse or child and more for a veteran with dependents. Large care bills can reduce countable income enough to qualify.

Can I get both Aid and Attendance and Georgia Medicaid?

Yes, the two are separate programs and can be received together. Because the programs count income and assets differently, have a benefits counselor review your situation before applying.

Compare Care Settings in Georgia

Aid and Attendance can help pay for any care setting. See how it works for the others:

Learn More

VA BenefitsVA Aid and Attendance in GeorgiaVA Aid and Attendance in Georgia 2026: who qualifies, rates up to $29,093 a year, how to apply, and free help from the Georgia Department of Veterans Service. VA BenefitsVA Benefits for Senior Care in GeorgiaA complete guide to VA senior care benefits in Georgia: home care, nursing homes, Aid and Attendance, state war veterans homes, and how to access them in 2026. Care TypesHome Care vs Home Health in GeorgiaHome care vs. home health in Georgia: home health is skilled care a Home Health Agency provides and Medicare covers; home care is non-medical help from a PHCP. VA BenefitsHow VA Aid and Attendance Pays for Assisted LivingHow VA Aid and Attendance helps pay for assisted living: the 2026 annual pension limits, the medical-expense rule, who qualifies, and how to apply. VA BenefitsVA Benefits for Senior Care: A Complete GuideA complete guide to VA benefits for senior care: long-term care, Aid and Attendance, pensions, DIC, and home grants for older veterans and surviving spouses.
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The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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